Page 105 of Another Lucky Number

‘I guess when you put it like that…’ I give a sheepish laugh that’s met with an approving wink from Amber and a hand squeeze from Cat. ‘Actually, my new job will be the perfect sweetener for when I tell my parents about me going travelling for the summer.’

‘That’s true, it will be helpful,’ says Cat. ‘Hey, something dawned on me when you were saying goodbye to James. You’ve got another lucky number, honey.’

‘Um… OK. Do you want to elaborate on that?’

‘James’s phone number was your first one, right? Because it won you the money.’

‘Uh-huh…’

‘And Sébastien said it was your karaoke performance that made him notice you. So… the song you sang is another lucky number. You know… like how a song can be referred to as a “number”. As in “That’s a great number”.’

‘Yeah, grandma,’ hoots Amber. ‘Nobody born post nineteen-sixty refers to music in that way.’

‘Leave her alone, Amber.’ I give her a stern look as Cat turns beetroot.

‘What?’ Amber’s face is defiant. ‘It’s true. My Pops talked that way and he was practically from the Victorian era.’

‘That’s a bit of an exaggeration,’ I say. ‘But how cute that you had a “Pops”. I can just picture you, all tiny, sitting on his knee. You’d probably still be able to do that.’

‘Shut it, Emma.’ She folds her arms and stares out of the window while Cat and I share a delighted look for having successfully one-upped her.

With one last look through the rear window at the resort, Isettle back in my seat contentedly, finally turning my thoughts to home – and all the exciting new beginnings that now lie ahead of me there.

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